London’s Preparedness for Brexit

Leonie Cooper: What conversations have you had with the Government regarding London’s preparedness for Brexit? Is the Government sufficiently liaising with yourself and local authorities in London to enable local government to plan for the changes resulting from the end of the Transition Period?

The Mayor: I have written to the Prime Minister to urge that he extend the Brexit transition period beyond the end of the year; in order to prioritise tackling the covid pandemic.
Cross-partner London-wide preparations are underway across all tiers of government to assess the impact of the end of the transition period. The London Resilience Forum’s (LRF) Brexit Contingency Planning Group has reconvened; and the London Strategic Co-ordination Group is also considering this risk as part of its emergency-planning work to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic this winter.
Last year, the LRF and London Growth Hub received funding from Government to support coordination between local agencies for Brexit-resilience purposes, and help businesses trade outside of the EU. We now face similar risks as single market and customs union arrangements with the EU end. We therefore require clarity from Government on whether similar funding arrangements will be put in place.

London’s Local Industrial Strategy

Leonie Cooper: Please can you provide an update on progress made in the development of London’s Local Industrial Strategy. When do you expect a final document to be published?

The Mayor: The Government’s aim was to agree all Local Industrial Strategies in England by early 2020. So far, seven of the expected 36 local strategies have been published. London’s draft Local Industrial Strategy was shared informally with central government (Cities and Local Growth Unit) in March. Following the outbreak of the pandemic, work to finalise the drafting of the strategy has been on hold. My officers have been engaging with central government on the future of the LIS programme, but have yet to receive a formal steer on the next steps with planning for economic recovery being prioritised.

European Criminal Records Information System

Unmesh Desai: If possible, please advise how many times Met Officers accessed the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) in each of the last 4 years.

The Mayor: Please see the table below:

Requests Out From the Metropolitan Police Service to EU Member States by Calendar Year: 2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Total
Totals
25769
22070
21376
19896
14722
103833

European Arrest Warrant

Unmesh Desai: How many European Arrest Warrants were issued by the Met in each of the last 4 years?

The Mayor: Please see my answer to Mayor's Question 2020/0392.

Universal Credit Claimants in London and Covid-19 (1)

Leonie Cooper: How many people in London were claiming Universal Credit in each month between February 2020 and September 2020?

The Mayor: Official data (DWP) on the number of people on Universal Credit (UC) for September is still not available. Data for the months February 2020 to August 2020, are shown in Table 1.
Table 1:Number of people in London on UC, 2020
Month
Number of people in London on UC
February
418,280
March
432,490
April
576,040
May
822,360
June
867,750
July
888,500
August
907,760
Source: DWP Universal Credit Statistics
It is worth noting that this data is not seasonally adjusted. Differences between consecutive periods can be caused by cyclical components of the time series.

£500 payment to self-isolate (2)

Leonie Cooper: Should the £500 payment to self-isolate be higher in London to reflect the increased cost of living in the capital?

The Mayor: Yes, it should. The level of payment must be sufficient to support Londoners to follow public health advice and keep their community safe. If the government support is insufficient we risk seeing people continuing to work and spreading the virus. A one size fits all rate inevitably doesn’t take account of the higher costs of living in London
I wrote to the Chancellor and Health Secretary in August to provide more support for employees who are required to self-isolate. In my letter I pointed to Germany where workers who are self-isolating are supported with payment equivalent to their net-wage. In the UK the weekly payment with Statutory Sick Pay is equivalent to the weekly gross pay for full time workers in England at the tenth percentile (2019). The tenth percentile in London is almost £43 higher at £389.10.
I also remain concerned about those on low incomes who are not eligible for support either from this payment or statutory sick pay. This could include people who can’t get a test to trigger the payment and those who aren’t eligible for benefits such as those with No Recourse to Public Funds. The government should increase the resource for local authorities to provide discretionary funding, so they can support those falling through the cracks. The Government should also launch an awareness-raising campaign for this support, which has had relatively low take up in the pilot areas.

Serious Violence Reduction Orders

Unmesh Desai: Do you welcome the proposed introduction of Serious Violence Reduction Orders?

The Mayor: I am currently responding to the government consultation on the proposed introduction of Serious Violence Reduction Orders. I welcome the potential benefits of this new Police power for tackling knife crime and violence in London. However, I am aware of the limited evidence base for the effectiveness of stop and search when this is not used in a targeted and proportionate way, allied with the concerns about ethnic disproportionality in the use stop and search that I am working hard to address. Therefore these new proposed powers should be used in carefully targeted way against those with a repeated record of carrying dangerous weapons, alongside a range of other tactics, and that clear guidelines and oversight are used to monitor the impact of this and measure its effectiveness.

Indicators of Financial Difficulties in London

Leonie Cooper: Do you work with agencies such as Citizens Advice and law centres to gather early indicators of the number of Londoners that are struggling financially?

The Mayor: We access data from a number of agencies, including Citizens Advice, to give us intelligence on Londoners that are struggling financially. Recent Citizens Advice website page views indicate that those checking on benefits on their site have increased three times over (14 September to 13 October).
Robust data on this topic is quite difficult to come by, but we regularly monitor economic fairness in London through a set of measures that use data from a number of sources, but which are only periodically updated.
To give us a quicker view on emerging issues, at the beginning of the pandemic, we launched the London Community Response Survey. This has given us near to real time intelligence on the experiences of Londoners who are often less heard. Over the past two surveys we have seen organisations reporting an increase in demand for support with poverty and debt issues.

Test and Trace App Uptake in London

Onkar Sahota: Are you collecting information on, or receiving information from the Government regarding, the uptake of the NHS Test and Trace App in London?

The Mayor: The NHS Test and Trace App was launched by the Government on 24 September. I have not received any information on the uptake of the app so far, or results from the trial in Newham. I am asking for this data to be included into my regular weekly public health briefings.
The app is one part of the NHS Test and Trace system. Londoners must have confidence that they can get a test if they need one and get the results quickly. An incomplete test and trace system risks our economy and vital services grinding to a halt.

World Mental Health Day

Onkar Sahota: I welcome the work you and your teams carried out to mark World Mental Health Day. How did ThriveLDN and your Peer Outreach team work together to coordinate a virtual festival for World Mental Health Day and what outcomes were achieved?

The Mayor: The virtual World Mental Health Day Festival, which took place on Saturday, 10 October, was a young Londoner-led event co-developed between my Peer Outreach Team and Thrive LDN.
Two Peer Outreach Workers lead the event development, with support from Thrive LDN colleagues, to deliver a programme designed to support young Londoners build resilience and promote positive wellbeing. The festival-style schedule featured Peer Outreach Workers and a line-up of other young performers, artists and speakers they selected.
Hundreds of Londoners were able to come together in a virtual, safe space to discuss the challenges they face, share experiences and learn about tools and resources to promote good mental health and wellbeing. A collection of discussions, spoken word, poetry, and live music, all pre-recorded and performed at London's Young Vic theatre, is now available online for Londoners to access freely to help tackle the stigma and open up conversations around mental health.

Taser

Jennette Arnold: Why is demographic data on the use of taser not published and readily available as part of the Met’s online databases.

The Mayor: The Met’s online database publishes the demographics for use of force overall and contains links to the data which show the demographics of every single type of force used, including Taser.
https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/use-of-force

Funding for the Recovery Board

Onkar Sahota: How is the London Recovery Board funded (i.e. do staff seconded from each organisation continue to be paid from their original organisation; which organisation is responsible for producing minutes of meetings and arranging meetings and etc)?

The Mayor: Existing staff from the GLA and other partners have been seconded or re-deployed to work on the recovery programme. Meetings for the London Recovery Board and London Recovery Taskforce are arranged by GLA Corporate secretariat staff with minutes produced by them also and published on the GLA website on the London Recovery webpages: London Recovery Board and Taskforce Minutes. For completeness, members of the London Recovery Board are not remunerated for their work on the board (nor are members of its subgroups).

Pay for Care Home Workers

Onkar Sahota: Care workers have been the unsung heroes of the pandemic. Would you agree that the Government’s promised plan to fix social care should provide a guarantee that care workers are paid the real living wage (and London Living Wage in the capital) alongside the funding required by local authorities to make this possible?

The Mayor: continued to work hard to serve Londoners, time and time again – often without adequate remuneration and make an immense contribution to the health and welfare of our city.
I have long argued that our care workers, along with all of London’s vital key workers, are paid at least the London Living Wage.
The Government must increase investment in the social care workforce, enabling local authorities to commission services that pay their workers the London Living Wage. And they must publish their long awaited plans for social care as matter of urgency.

Mayoral Decision Publication Date Transparency

Caroline Pidgeon: In answer to MQ/2020/0396 in February you said that you would explore the possibility that when Mayoral Decisions are published they are not simply back dated to the date that the decision was made, but that the date of publication is also made clear. Can you please provide an update on work relating to this?

The Mayor: Adding this feature to the decisions database requires web development work. The work has been scoped and quoted for and will be underway shortly.
A list of all GLA decisions published in the preceding period is provided to the Assembly, together with my report, ahead of each Mayor’s Question Time.

GLA Funded Properties with Dangerous Cladding

Caroline Pidgeon: Please provide a list of buildings funded or part-funded by the GLA over the last 10 years that have subsequently been identified as having dangerous cladding, and outline what steps you are taking to i) support leaseholders in these properties to ensure they face no financial burden, and ii) ensure the dangerous cladding on these properties is replaced swiftly.

The Mayor: Releasing a list of the residential buildings in London with unsafe types of cladding may compromise the anonymity of unsafe clad buildings and put residents at risk.
It is the Responsible Entity’s duty to undertake safety checks of external walls and ensure the building is remediated if required. As a funder, the GLA is not the Responsible Entity and therefore does not hold the information you are requesting.

Private sector remediation of dangerous cladding (1)

Andrew Dismore: The recent Parliamentary Accounts Committee report in cladding remediation highlighted the lack of remediation being undertaken in the private sector. In London 34 out 144 private sector buildings identified as being in need of remediation have had remediation work completed. How are you encouraging private sector building owners to undertake necessary work?

The Mayor: I recently sent a letter to over 40 London building owners to demand that they put the safety of their residents first and begin work to remove unsafe ACM cladding immediately and to take all the necessary steps to accelerate their plans.
My Building Safety Team is working closely with London boroughs, London Fire Brigade and the Government on potential enforcement for those building owners failing to progress at pace. I have also called on Government to put more resource into the joint inspection team.

Private sector remediation of dangerous cladding (2)

Andrew Dismore: MHCLG have set a target of Dec 31st 2021 for the completion of all remedial work for dangerous cladding. Is this achievable in London?

The Mayor: The target date of 31 December 2021 for the remediation of unsafe cladding to be complete is unlikely to be met. London has a much higher proportion of private high-rise blocks compared to the rest of the country and private sector blocks tend to have more complicated ownership structures and less co-operative owners. My team has found that many private building owners lack capability and experience in carrying out a major refurbishment to their building. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing yet further delays in remediating unsafe cladding. Finally, there is a shortage of competent professionals who are able to undertake cladding-related works, and a growing number have exclusions in their Professional Indemnity Insurance for cladding related work. When this is added to the Goverment delays in committing the funding in the first place, the December 2021 deadline is unlikely to be realised.

Private sector remediation of dangerous cladding (3)

Andrew Dismore: MHCLG have set a target of Dec 31st 2021 for the completion of all remedial work for dangerous cladding. What factors make this deadline challenging?

The Mayor: There are a range of factors which render the December 2021 deadline for cladding remediation unlikely to be met. First, the Building Safety Fund is likely to be insufficient to fund all affected buildings. Second, many private building owners lack capability and experience in carrying out a major refurbishment to their building. In addition, there’s a shortage of competent professionals and a large number who cannot access professional indemnity insurance for cladding-related work. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought additional challenges by delaying works and inspections and, in many cases, the capacity on site has been reduced to follow Public Health England guidance.

Private sector remediation of dangerous cladding (4)

Andrew Dismore: How many high-rise private sector building owners in London have had access to the bespoke technical and financial support offered by MHCLG?

The Mayor: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) appointed Faithful and Gould (F&G), a project and programme management consultancy, to provide technical remediation advisors to increase the pace of remediation of ACM high-rise buildings. In London, F&G are supporting 42 of the 59 buildings within the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund, as well a number of other buildings outside the scope of the fund.

Private sector remediation of dangerous cladding (5)

Andrew Dismore: MHCLG have set a target of Dec 31st 2021 for the completion of all remedial work for dangerous cladding. What work have MHCLG completed in order to make this deadline achievable?

The Mayor: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has set up the Social and Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Funds (SSCRF, PSCRF) and Building Safety Fund (BSF) to help with the costs of removing and replacing unsafe cladding systems from high-rise residential buildings. In addition, MHCLG has appointed a project management consultancy to provide technical remediation advice and increase the pace of remediation of ACM high-rise buildings. The Government also funded the Joint Inspection Team to inspect private sector high rise blocks with unsafe aluminium composite material cladding and support enforcement actions from local authorities. While all these measures are welcome, they are unlikely to be sufficient to make this deadline achievable.

Social and Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund and the Building Safety Fund (1)

Andrew Dismore: How many grants have been made from these funds to date? Please provide a breakdown since the funds began, showing the size of grant; social, private residential, student, hotel or public building; and date of grant award.

The Mayor: The GLA administers the Social and Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Funds (SSCRF and PSCRF) and the Building Safety Fund on behalf of the Government. To date, grant payments to the value of £95,861,773 have been made across 60 projects in the SSCRF and £2,171,018 have been paid across 15 projects in the PSCRF. No grant payments have been made in the Building Safety Fund as yet.
These figures are accurate as of 7 October 2020.
The Government’s cladding remediation funds only cover residential buildings in the social sector or where there are private leaseholders. Student housing, hotels and non-residential blocks are not eligible for funding.

Because I'm a Londoner Campaign Funding

Shaun Bailey: How much funding have you given to the “Because I’m a Londoner” Campaign to date and how much have you committed to the campaign in future?

The Mayor: I have given £280k to London & Partners’ “Because I’m a Londoner” campaign. This was reallocated funding from money already committed to the industry-led Domestic Tourism Consortium, which needed to be halted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
No further funding to the “Because I’m a Londoner” campaign has been committed at this time.

Safeguarding Teams

Unmesh Desai: At the Police and Crime Committee’s meeting in September 2020, the Met’s Deputy Commissioner, Sir Stephen House, told the Committee that the workloads in the Met’s safeguarding teams are far too high. What action are you taking to address this?

The Mayor: The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is developing a ‘public protection improvement plan’. This plan covers five key elements: capacity, capability, leadership, governance and partnership.
The capacity element will include actions to help safeguarding teams manage workloads, prioritise investigations and ensure that appropriate governance and support are in place.
The workload of officers, and wider child protection, are issues that my Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime will continue to oversee with the lead for Frontline Policing, Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave.

Long Covid

Tony Devenish: What are you doing to encourage London NHS and GPs to prioritise tackling "long covid"?

The Mayor: Increasing medical evidence and patient testimony shows that approximately 10 percent of people who contract COVID-19 still suffer effects of the virus months later, with symptoms ranging from breathlessness to chronic fatigue, anxiety and stress. NHS partners have been working with clinical experts and commissioners in integrated care systems, primary care and NHS Trusts to clarify which services need to be prioritised in community and primary care, and to develop guidance on dealing with ‘long covid’ and to identify available rehabilitation services.
On 7 October NHS England announced a package of measures to support ‘long covid’ patients, including £10million in additional local funding for clinics to offer specialist support to people suffering ‘long covid’ symptoms in every area across England.
I have regular discussions with the London Regional Directors of both the NHS and Public Health England and will continue to raise issues about both acute COVID-19 and its longer-term impacts.

High Street Banking

Tony Devenish: Will you look to include retail banking within the next London Plan, and if so how will you do this?

The Mayor: Retail banks provide a valuable service on the high street supporting the day-to-day needs of businesses and Londoners generally, particularly for customers who do not have access to digital banking. My new London Plan encourages a diverse range of uses in town centres and high streets that meet the needs of Londoners and ensures that clusters of retail and associated uses support town centre vitality and viability. Retail banking falls within the broad range of uses associated with the high street and therefore it is already captured by the policies in my London Plan.
From 1 September 2020 the government incorporated retail and ‘financial and professional service’ uses (which includes banks) into new Use Class E. This means that retail banks can change use to any of the other uses within Class E without the need for formal planning permission. I have written to the government outlining my concerns about Use Class E and its potential impact on the social and economic function of high streets. This change would need to be picked up in any London Plan review in the future.

Military Assistance for Covid Enforcement

Unmesh Desai: What discussions have been had with the Government around the use of the military to help enable the Met to better enforce the Coronavirus legislation?

The Mayor: NPCC Chair Martin Hewitt has stated that “Policing is a unique role and any military support must be assessed very carefully. At the moment, no military involvement is necessary, nor do we anticipate this will be needed.” Both myself, and the MPS are currently of the same view.

Wellbeing Ambassador

Onkar Sahota: The London Recovery Board has stated its ambition for London to have 250,000 wellbeing ambassadors. What will the role of a wellbeing ambassador entail?

The Mayor: I am working with partners to develop a wellbeing ambassador scheme that is both culturally competent and useful for London’s diverse communities.
The role of wellbeing ambassadors will be designed in partnership with local people, building local capacity and developing a scheme that will offer culturally appropriate training, support and coaching. We will learn from and build on similar schemes and networks. ​
Work will start in those communities most affected by the pandemic, where wellbeing ambassadors will be enabled to offer wider support and services.

New Claimant Count in London Boroughs

Joanne McCartney: Which London Boroughs have seen the highest new claimant count over the past 6 months for a) Universal Credit, b) Job Seekers Allowance, and c) total claimant count? Can you please break this down by London Borough?

The Mayor: Official data on the number of new Job Seekers allowance claimants by borough is not available, only the total is. Data for boroughs with the highest counts in August 2020 is provided below.
Table 1: JSA count, March ‘20 - August ‘20, Top 5 boroughs in August ‘20
Borough
March
April
May
June
July
August
Ealing
1,161
2,000
2,277
2,480
2,593
2,738
Brent
1,322
2,099
2,391
2,545
2,633
2,721
Hackney
1,604
2,304
2,510
2,579
2,649
2,714
Lambeth
1,155
2,083
2,344
2,451
2,516
2,583
Newham
1,040
1,848
2,079
2,181
2,239
2,346
Source: DWP benefits statistics
The data for Universal Credit (UC) claims is not available at borough level. However, we can look at the number of people on Universal Credit, although only total and not the flows is available. Table 2 presents the data for the 5 boroughs with the highest number of people on UC in August 2020, for the period March-August.
Table 2: Number of people on UC, March ‘20 – August ‘20, Top 5 boroughs in August ‘20
Borough
March
April
May
June
July
August
Croydon
30,350
38,070
46,400
48,180
48,830
50,020
Newham
19,810
25,740
41,780
44,860
46,100
47,150
Enfield
22,030
28,460
37,420
39,570
40,430
41,180
Southwark
22,250
28,300
36,470
38,020
38,980
39,760
Tower Hamlets
20,240
27,740
35,790
37,320
38,500
39,460
Source: DWP benefits statistics
Table 3 presents the Claimant count data for the 5 boroughs with the highest number of claims in August 2020. Please note that an increasing number of people became eligible for unemployment-related benefit support, although still employed. Consequently, changes in Claimant Count will not be due wholly to changes in the number of people who are unemployed.
Table 3: Claimant Count, March ‘20 – August ‘20, Top 5 boroughs in August ‘20
Borough
March
April
May
June
July
August
Newham
8,170
12,815
23,030
23,330
23,515
24,505
Croydon
10,835
16,790
21,860
21,520
21,855
23,060
Brent
7,875
11,970
20,395
21,135
21,330
21,980
Ealing
8,165
12,220
19,845
20,195
20,490
21,370
Lambeth
9,020
13,590
19,885
19,865
20,350
21,070
Source: ONS Claimant count
It is worth noting that the data above is not seasonally adjusted. Comparisons between consecutive periods can be caused by cyclical components of the time series.

Job Losses

Joanne McCartney: How many jobs have been lost over the past 6 months in each London Borough?

The Mayor: Official data on job losses by region or local authority is not timely or readily available. However, we can use data on Labour Market flows for London as an approximation for the people that have left employment. This shows that in the second quarter of 2020 (April- June), 179,000 Londoners became unemployed or economically inactive. Not all of these people will have left employment because of being made redundant.
Claimant count data are sometimes used as proxy for the number of people that have become unemployed. The latest labour Market Update for London provides claimant count data at the borough level.
It is worth noting that an increasing number of people became eligible for unemployment-related benefit support, although still employed. Consequently, changes in Claimant Count will not be due wholly to changes in the number of people who are unemployed.

Local test and trace services

Joanne McCartney: Given the government’s shambolic test and trace system, are there any plans to bring this system under local authority/regional control to ensure improvements are made?

The Mayor: I am working closely with partners to do all I can to ensure London has an effective test and trace service. Work with partners across London has developed rapidly to enhance the effectiveness of the national model.
The London Contact Tracing and Testing Co-ordination Group has produced a London Testing Strategy. It sets out a shared vision, priorities and areas of focus for improvement, working within the national framework, to maximise the co-ordination across partners. This includes the vital role of London boroughs to put in place local outbreak control plans, and the work I am supporting to deliver the “Keep London Safe” campaign.
PHE London has been able to support boroughs to take on locally led contact tracing to reach people who don’t respond to the national NHS Test and Trace service. A small number of boroughs are already operational, and more boroughs will be setting up local delivery in the coming weeks.

European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS)

Joanne McCartney: Is there confidence that the Metropolitan Police will still have access to the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) after Brexit? If not, what would be the implications for London and the UK?

The Mayor: I am deeply concerned about the potential loss of access to The European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS), a system which allows authorities in one member state to check whether an individual has any convictions in other member states, to inform investigations and sentencing and bail decisions. Currently no non-EU country has access to ECRIS.
Without access, the fallback is the 1959 European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. However, this process is not as quick or straightforward as ECRIS.
The UK benefits enormously from ECRIS, and the large population of EU migrants in the UK means we are one of the heaviest users of the system. Without it, we will know less about what UK nationals do overseas and it will be harder to get information about foreign nationals within the UK, reducing our ability to make good decisions about bail or judges’ decisions on sentencing. I urge the Government to prioritise the UK retaining access to this key tool.

Playing Fields

Nicky Gavron: How many school playing fields have been lost in the last 10 years in London? What steps are you taking to protect them?

The Mayor: I do not hold data on the number of school playing fields that have been lost.
I believe in the power of sport to bring communities together and transform lives, which is why my ‘Sport for All of Us’ strategy focuses on using sport and physical activity to tackle social issues. The London Plan has clear policies to prevent any net loss of sporting and leisure facilities in London’s schools, except where there is a surplus, and I also advocate for schools to open-up their sporting facilities to community organisations out of hours.

Sports Venues and football pitches

Nicky Gavron: How many football pitches and sports venues have been lost in the last 10 years in London? What steps are you taking to protect them?

The Mayor: I do not hold data on the number of football pitches and sports venues that have been lost.
I believe in the power of sport to bring communities together and transform lives, which is why my ‘Sport for All of Us’ strategy focuses on using sport and physical activity to tackle social issues. The London Plan has clear policies to prevent any net loss of sporting and leisure facilities in London, except where there is a surplus as identified by a needs assessment, taking into account both local and sub-regional need. I also advocate for schools to open-up their sporting facilities to community organisations out of hours.

Stop and Search

Leonie Cooper: Could you supply the figures for Stop and Searches carried out each month in 2020 in Wandsworth and in Merton, broken down by ethnicity?

The Mayor: The requested data is published via the MPS Stop and Search dashboard. This is updated monthly, and can be found here:
https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/stop-and-search-dashboard/

Community Resolution Orders

Unmesh Desai: Please provide a breakdown, by number and type, of offences that were dealt with through a community resolution order in each of the last 12 months.

The Mayor: Please see the attached data covering the use of ‘Community Resolution’ by crime type between September 2019 and August 2020 inclusive. In this period there were a total of 29,803 community resolutions – of these 82% were for drugs offences.

Mask violence

Susan Hall: Has the Met seen any violence in relation to arguments over the wearing of a mask? If so, do you have any figures?

The Mayor: The MPS do not hold this data.

Kettling protestors during coronavirus crisis

Siân Berry: Given the need for social distancing, and your previous comment that kettling is a ‘tactic of last resort’, will you ask the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to suspend kettling as a tactic?

The Mayor: As I have mentioned before, the MPS has operational independence on how it polices protests and I have confidence in the Commissioner and her team.
Police strategy and tactics are determined by the highly trained public order commanders and their decisions are based on the specific situation they face and the intelligence available to them.

Accessible homes in the social rented sector

Siân Berry: How many homes in the London social rented sector meet four main criteria that make it accessible and visitable for most people: level access to the main entrance, a flush threshold, sufficiently wide doorways and circulation space, and a toilet at entrance level?

The Mayor: The GLA does not hold these figures. Estimates from the English Housing Survey can be requested from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Extremism 2

Susan Hall: In a recent Home Affairs Select Committee, it was mentioned that non-aligned extremism is on the rise:

• What is the Met doing about this?

• Please can you provide the number of ‘non-aligned’ extremists detected in Oct 18 to Sep 19, and Oct 20 to Sep 20?

• Please provide examples of what ‘non-aligned’ extremist is.

The Mayor: Non-aligned extremism is characterised by Counter-Terrorism Policing as ‘Mixed, Unstable, or Unclear Ideology’. In 2017/18, this new category was added by the Government to the themes describing the types of concern under which individuals were referred to Prevent.
This category describes cases in which the ideology the individual is presenting with cannot easily be described as one of the existing categories, such as so-called Islamist or Right-Wing extremism. This category would be relevant in cases where the individual may not have a coherent or single ideology but may still pose a terrorism risk. The creation of this new category was a result of exploration and development of the statistics, and a genuine increase in the number of cases presenting with non-aligned ideological elements.
The Government publishes statistics on the individuals referred to and supported by the Government’s counter-radicalisation strategy, Prevent. This includes statistics on those individuals referred where concerns related to ‘Mixed, Unstable, or Unclear ideology’.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/individuals-referred-to-and-supported-through-the-prevent-programme-april-2018-to-march-2019

Prince Harry

Susan Hall: 58% of the public (Savanta ComRes) believe that as part of their new life in the US, Meghan and Harry must pay their own way. Given that the MPS is taxpayer funded organisation, should there be scrutiny on whether the London taxpayer is paying their protection bill? Even if in private by elected representatives?

The Mayor: The MPS provides protection for a number of high-profile public figures. The MPS takes the operational decisions on what they think is best to keep individuals safe.

Apprenticeships (2)

Jennette Arnold: How many young people in London completed apprenticeships in the 2020/21 academic year? Please provide a breakdown by level.

The Mayor: Unfortunately, the data for completed (achieved) apprenticeships for the 2020/21 academic year is not yet is not currently available either for London or England. This is primarily because there is a time lag between the data release and reporting period but also apprenticeship achievements are reported on an annual basis. Therefore, this data will be available once the academic year has been completed.

Apprenticeships (1)

Jennette Arnold: How many young people in London have taken up apprenticeships in September 2020?

The Mayor: Unfortunately, the data for Apprenticeship starts in September 2020 is not currently available either for London or England. This is primarily because there is a time lag between the data release and reporting period. The latest available apprenticeship data published in August captures the number of starts in June 2020. However, this figure is for England and is not available on a London level as monthly apprenticeship starts are not provided on a regional level.
The latest available data available for London however reveals that the number of apprenticeships starts in the capital was 28,450 as at Q3 for the 2019/20 academic year (reported to date).

5 key steps to address the EWS crisis (2)

Andrew Dismore: Please provide details of any response you have had from Government to your letter with 5 key steps to address the EWS crisis.

The Mayor: As of 8 October 2020, I had received no response from the Government to my recent letter addressing the EWS1 crisis.

5 key steps to address the EWS crisis (1)

Andrew Dismore: In a recent Inside Housing article you revealed that you had written to the Government with 5 key steps to address the EWS crisis1. Please publish the letter sent including the 5 steps recommended.

1Inside Housing, ‘Sadiq Khan urges Government to take ‘urgent action’ to fix EWS crisis with 5 key steps’ [Date accessed 24.09.20]

The Mayor: My letter to the Government with five key steps to address the EWS1 crisis is already available on London.gov where all my responses and correspondence on building safety can be found. More details on my most recent letter can be found in the following link:
https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/rt_hon_robert_jenrick_mp_21_09_20.pdf

Recommendations from the report ‘Progress in remediating dangerous cladding’

Andrew Dismore: Do you agree with the recommendations in the Public Accounts Committee report ‘Progress in remediating dangerous cladding’ and what more will you do to ensure remediation of buildings with unsafe cladding is expedited in London?

The Mayor: I agree with many of the recommendations in the Public Accounts Committee report and I welcome the Committee’s scrutiny of the Government’s handling of the building safety crisis since the fire at Grenfell Tower.
My team will continue to work closely with the Government and building owners applying to the cladding remediation funds to ensure applications for funding are moving forward as quickly as possible. Getting grant approved is vital on those buildings where funding is a barrier to remediation.

London Building Safety Summit follow up

Andrew Dismore: What actions will you be taking forward following the London building safety summit?

The Mayor: At the London Cladding Action Summit it was agreed that London boroughs, MHCLG and the GLA would work together using case conferencing meetings to deal with buildings at a borough level. Officers from the GLA’s Building Safety team have been attending these meetings. The second Summit is scheduled for 15 October 2020.

First dibs for Londoners (4)

Murad Qureshi: You have said, “all options are on the table, including looking again at using planning powers to achieve my goal and urging Ministers to change the law”. Can you outline what planning powers and changes to the law you believe will help you achieve your goal?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor's Question 2020/3532.

First dibs for Londoners (3)

Murad Qureshi: When will the review of the voluntary ‘first dibs’ offer begin?

The Mayor: I will provide an update on any review of First Dibs in due course.

First dibs for Londoners (2)

Murad Qureshi: Have you begun to look at Land Registry and other data to monitor whether ‘first dibs’ is helping Londoners to be the ultimate buyers of more homes? What did you find?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor's Question 2020/3532.

First dibs for Londoners (1)

Murad Qureshi: How many “first dibs” properties have been placed on the Homes for Londoners portal? How many of them were Help to Buy homes? Please break down the figures by month.

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor's Question 2020/3532.

Public Sector Land

Murad Qureshi: Please provide details on the successful bids you have made to develop other public sector land for housing, including how many homes will be provided and the affordable housing breakdown?

The Mayor: The GLA does not competitively bid for sites in a market context and instead works to achieve the satisfaction of best consideration with partner landowners through effective negotiation and an understanding of stakeholder priorities. The GLA has successfully secured the following projects, with more currently being negotiated:
St Ann’s Hospital was acquired from the NHS using my Land Fund and is currently in a procurement process to secure a development partner for over 700 homes, 60% genuinely affordable. This includes 50 homes for community led housing, with the remaining affordable homes - 60% at social rent levels, 20% London Living Rent and 20% Shared Ownership.
A former NHS site at North Middlesex University Hospital was bought from LocatED using my Land Fund and a partner will shortly be sought using London Development Panel 2 to deliver over 200 homes, of which 50% will be genuinely affordable.
Working with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime a former Metropolitan Police site in Hendon is being prepared to be taken to market. This site is estimated to deliver over 700 homes of which 60% will be genuinely affordable.

Live-Work Units

Murad Qureshi: How many Live-work units have been funded through the 2016-21 Affordable Homes Programme?

The Mayor: The GLA Open Project system used to project manage schemes approved in the Affordable Housing 2016-21 programme does not hold information to explicitly identify these types of projects. Funding approvals for all projects are made on the merit of the general affordable housing criteria set out in the AH 16-21 and Addendum funding guides available on the GLA website.

New Workforce Homes

Murad Qureshi: The May 2018 London Housing Strategy says you will “explore incentives for businesses to provide investment in new homes which could benefit their workforce”. Can you update me on this work and what incentives, if any, you have identified?

The Mayor: Given the urgent need for affordable housing and the importance of retaining key public sector workers, I have focused on working with major public sector employers and land owners. With NHS trusts and other partners, I established the London Estates Board so that surplus land can be identified, and proper investment secured to deliver the affordable homes key workers need.

Housing Association Partnerships

Murad Qureshi: In July 2017 you announced eight new strategic partnerships with housing associations, that would deliver 38,500 genuinely affordable homes. Have you agreed any further strategic partnerships? Please provide details on how many genuinely affordable homes each of your current strategic partners are due to deliver.

The Mayor: Yes. There are eighteen strategic partnership agreements with housing providers currently in the programme. The below table provides a breakdown by organisation.
Strategic Partner
No. Homes
A2 Dominion
2,152
Catalyst
2,300
Clarion
5,488
Connected Partnership
1,456
Guinness
1,750
Home Group
1,000
Hyde
4,093
L&Q
15,230
LB Newham
1,196
Metropolitan Thames Valley
2,000
Network
2,245
Newlon
1,108
Notting Hill Genesis
6,737
One
1,683
Optivo
3,600
Peabody
6,785
Southern
1,268
Swan
1,542
Data as at 7th October 2020

Homes for NHS Workers

Murad Qureshi: Since May 2016 how many homes have been delivered across the capital’s NHS sites? Of those homes how many have been ringfenced for health service workers?

The Mayor: The London Estates Board was formed in 2017 and since this time it has been possible to identify an estimated 4,500 new homes delivered or planned for delivery on former NHS land. This number includes approximately 35% affordable homes.
The two sites purchased by the Greater London Authority within this timeframe, land at St Ann’s Hospital and North Middlesex Hospital, are committed to delivering a proportion of homes with priority allocations to NHS workers.
As there is no national NHS database for identifying the delivery of homes for staff the London Estates Delivery Unit is working with NHS organisations in the capital to identify the number homes planned on existing sites or on sites to be released by the NHS in London.

Public Land

Murad Qureshi: How have you taken the lead in developing public land?

The Mayor: My Housing and Land team is working with development partners to deliver thousands of homes on the GLA’s land, maximising the delivery of affordable housing with award-winning projects such as Beam Park in the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, and Havering delivering 50% genuinely affordable housing. The team has successfully brought sites to the market and secured ambitious development partners on a wide range of housing projects.
The GLA’s dedicated Public Land team works with public landowners across London to release land for housing. The Public Land team regularly engages with a wide range of public landowners to identify development opportunities and to support other organisations to bring land to the market in a way which support my objectives for Good Growth in London through provision of resources and expertise, including the use of the London Development Panel 2 and my Small Sites, Small Builders Programme. The team helps to foster positive working relationships between different public bodies which in turn has led to better coordination of projects
The Royal Docks development is also a good example of how I have taken the opportunity to create a focused delivery plan for development of public land, setting clear objectives and working with key stakeholders (LB Newham) to deliver them.
TfL’s development programme is also driving forward genuine change on public land to deliver new homes and ensure that land is being used effectively where it is no longer required for operational use.

2011-15 Affordable Homes Programme

Murad Qureshi: What level of funding was allocated to London in the 2011-15 Affordable Homes Programme (not including any rollover amounts from previous programmes)? How many homes were due to be delivered under this programme? How many were delivered?

The Mayor: The 2011-15 Affordable Homes Programme was administered by the Homes and Communities Agency up to the April 2012, when affordable housing functions transferred to the GLA. The GLA transfer settlement included £552m for the AH 2011-15 programme.
Details of affordable housing delivery by programme are available on the GLA’s website in the quarterly housing statistics tables (https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/affordable_housing_starts_and_completions_-_end_of_june_2020.pdf).

London-wide not-for-profit lettings agency (2)

Murad Qureshi: Please list which boroughs have social letting agencies.

The Mayor: This data is not available at present. However, the issue of social lettings agencies was raised at a recent meeting of my Private Rented Sector Partnership of London boroughs. As referenced in my response to MQ 2020/3554, many councils reported that they were moving away from this model as a means of securing properties.

London-wide not-for-profit lettings agency (1)

Murad Qureshi: In MQ 2018/0868 you said, “Because of the Government’s agreement to ban letting agencies’ fees, what we are going do in the short-term and medium-term is use the [property] portal to amplify those social letting agencies that boroughs have already set up. At this stage, we do not think there is a need to set up our own London social letting agencies”. What plans, if any, do you have to re-visit the idea of a London-wide not-for-profit lettings agency?

The Mayor: I have no plans to revisit a London-wide not-for-profit lettings agency. The main purpose of this manifesto commitment was to tackle the egregious fees letting agents were charging tenants across London in 2016 when I was elected. Thanks to lobbying by me and other voices in the sector, these fees were banned in 2018. In the intervening years, many councils in the capital have moved away from the social lettings agency model as it is increasingly difficult to establish viable schemes in London, where the market for landlords’ business is enormously competitive. There are better ways that I can support renters, including my Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker, my new private rented sector enforcement qualification for councils, the illegal eviction prevention training I have arranged for Met police officers, and lobbying for changes to security of tenure and welfare. I continue to support organisations running social lettings agencies.

Landlord Licensing (1)

Murad Qureshi: How many boroughs had a selective landlord licensing scheme in May 2016? How many have them now? Please list the councils by name.

The Mayor: The following boroughs had selective licensing schemes in place in May 2016:
Barking and Dagenham
Brent
Croydon
Harrow
Southwark
Tower Hamlets
Waltham Forest
The following boroughs currently have selective licensing schemes in place:
Barking and Dagenham
Bexley
Brent
Ealing
Hackney
Hammersmith and Fulham
Harrow
Newham
Redbridge
Southwark
Tower Hamlets
Waltham Forest

London-wide not-for-profit lettings agency (3)

Murad Qureshi: Please outline how many rental properties have been listed on your property portal from any borough’s social letting agency. Please breakdown the data by month and by borough.

The Mayor: No properties are currently listed on my property portal from council social lettings agencies. As set out in my previous responses to MQ 2020/3555 and MQ 2020/3554, given the letting fee ban, many councils report that they are moving away from the social lettings agency model and concentrating on other, more effective avenues to support private renters.
As a result, given the recent feedback from councils, affordable home ownership opportunities will remain the main focus of the portal.

Landlord Licensing (3)

Murad Qureshi: What progress have you made on making the case to government for London-wide landlord licensing?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor's Question 2020/3558.

Landlord Licensing (2)

Murad Qureshi: You have previously lobbied the Government for the powers to approve selective and borough-wide schemes in London to be devolved. Can you update me on your efforts and the Government’s response?

The Mayor: I am a firm supporter of London-wide property licensing and believe well-designed and operated licensing schemes can improve standards and conditions for London’s private renters.
At present, Government has the final say on whether new schemes can be implemented, and the system allows significant variation between how different councils approach and operate licensing schemes. The result is a confusing patchwork of different schemes and conditions.
Therefore, I take every opportunity to push Government to devolve powers on approving licensing schemes and have done so consistently in my time as Mayor. I will continue to work with local authorities through my Private Rented Sector Partnership to understand their needs and concerns regarding the current property licensing system while calling for these powers.

Impact of First Homes on London 1

Nicky Gavron: In the ‘Changes to the Current Planning System’ consultation, the Government proposes that 25% of affordable homes secured through developer contributions should be ‘First Homes’. Though called affordable, these homes are for ownership. What is likely to be the impact on the provision of shared ownership, London living rent and social rented homes?

The Mayor: The Government have made clear their intention is for First Homes to replace other affordable home-ownership products first, which will have a significant impact upon shared ownership delivery in London. First Homes are also likely to risk the delivery of much-needed social rent homes, especially in areas of London where affordability is challenging, as the delivery of social rent often relies on cross-subsidy from the sale of affordable home ownership products.
This is one of the reasons that First Homes are inappropriate in London and I have made this clear to the Government in my response to the ‘Changes to the Current Planning System’ consultation, which can be read here: www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/who-we-work/working-government/mayoral-responses-government-consultations

Impact of First Homes on London 2

Nicky Gavron: What percentage of the proposed First Homes are likely to be studio or 1 bed homes?

The Mayor: Should the Government introduce a requirement to deliver First Homes as part of major planning applications, London Plan policy relating to housing size mix will continue to apply. This means that development proposals should demonstrate a range of housing sizes taking into account the need to deliver mixed and inclusive communities, optimise housing delivery and respond to local need. The overall proportion of First Homes that will come forward as studio or 1 bed homes is unknown at this stage.

Data on domestic homicides

Siân Berry: Following up on a request for information made during the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee on 6 March 2019, could you provide up to date figures for domestic homicides, including the past three years, for London, along with an explanation of any changes in the classifications in relation to the figures?

The Mayor: Domestic abuse homicide figures are published and updated on a monthly basis through the MPS Hate Crime and Special Crime Dashboard, which can be found here:
https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/hate-crime-dashboard/

Materials provided by the Metropolitan Police Service to schools to raise awareness of hate crime

Siân Berry: Following up on a request made in the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee on 14 May 2019, could you provide examples of the materials and guidance provided by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to schools to raise awareness of hate crime?

The Mayor: The MPS delivers key messaging on hate crime in schools, including awareness raising on what hate crime is and how to report it. Officers are guided to https://www.stophateuk.org/ which provides free resources. Officers also refer people to CATCH – Communities against Hate – a group of charities working to stop hate crime and offering victims services,
The Met also works with VotesforSchools which creates resources for debates on topical issues, including hate crime. VotesforSchools provides classroom materials to help teachers hold engaging, informative debates tackling topical and tough – but critical - topics.

PRISM 2.0

Nicky Gavron: We welcome the launch of PRISM 2.0 app. This app is aimed to accelerate the take-up of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). How do you think this is going to help developers and housebuilders wishing to build modular housing?

The Mayor: The new version of the Prism design app, which was commissioned by the Mayor in 2018, was re-launched last month by Bryden Wood and Cast. The new version of the Prism design app (Prism ‘2.0’) includes a broader range of design features and integrates new GLA geo-spatial datasets, including London Plan data. Feedback from councils on the app suggests Prism could help developers with early feasibility work (including reducing the high costs involved in this work) and encourage uptake of modular development by enabling greater standardisation of design. The long-term aim of the app is to promote standardisation in MMC systems across the UK manufacturing market. Greater interoperability between technologies will reduce risk to homebuilders and increase potential to aggregate demand.
Prism is free-to-use and can be accessed here: https://prism-app.io/

Facilitating socially distanced democratic protests (2)

Siân Berry: In your answer to my question 2020/2646 you said: “I want to be clear that large gatherings, including protests and parties, are currently illegal, in order to stop the spread of this deadly virus.” What assessment of the impacts on Londoners’ human rights have you, MOPAC and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) carried out in light of this?

The Mayor: Gatherings of over six people are illegal, however there are exemptions, including the right to protest. For every protest due to take place, the Metropolitan Police Service will weigh up the legislation and the impact on human rights of both the protestors and those affected by the protest. This is a consideration for every protest.
The MPS Gold strategy for the policing response to Covid-19 also considers the impact on human rights of those affected.

Borough breakdown of knife crime offences

Siân Berry: Following up on a request made in the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee on 5 February 2020, could you confirm whether or not the overall knife crime figures reported on the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) stop and search dashboard include possession offences?
Could you provide a table that shows a borough breakdown of: a) the numbers for each category of knife crime offence, b) the numbers and results of stop and search, and c) the outcome of ‘weapons, points and blades offences’? Could you provide this information for the year August 2018 to August 2019, and August 2019 to August 2020?

The Mayor: Data on ‘weapons, points and blades’ stop and searches and the outcome reason of these are published on the MPS Stop and Search dashboard which can be found here:
https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/stop-and-search-dashboard/
Overall knife crime offence figures are not reported on the Stop and Search dashboard and is not a defined category within the stop and search data.
Knife crime figures are published on the MPS ‘Hate Crime or Special Crime dashboard (https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/hate-crime-dashboard/).
Possession of articles with a blade or point figures are published on the MPS Crime dashboard (https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/crime-data-dashboard/)

Extending Permission in Principle to cover Major Developments

Nicky Gavron: What are your views on the Government’s proposal in ‘Changes to the Current Planning system’ to extend Permission in Principle to cover Major Developments?

The Mayor: The government’s proposals represent a huge step change from the existing position which enable Permission in Principle for up to 10 homes to proposals for up to 150 homes and unlimited commercial floorspace. I consider that these proposed changes to Permission in Principle would have wide ranging implications in complex urban areas like London and would place an unfair burden on both local authorities and neighbouring occupiers, given the limited time available for proper scrutiny of the proposed developments. I do not believe that the proposed changes will speed up the delivery of housing and much needed affordable housing in London.
My full response on these proposals can be found in questions 28-34 available at the link:
https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/mol_consultation_response_changes_to_current_planning_system.pdf

Standard Method

Nicky Gavron: What are your concerns regarding the Government’s proposal in ‘Changes to the Current Planning system’ to change the Standard Method for calculating local housing need?

The Mayor: The proposed Standard Method is not fit for purpose and will fail to achieve a sustainable distribution of homes across the country. In London it will not respond to complex housing needs, particularly the urgent need for affordable housing.
This is why in my response to the government’s consultation on ‘Changes to the Current Planning System’, I have called for a more sophisticated model that takes into account the need for affordable housing, supports the regeneration of areas that require it, and achieves deliverable and stable housing requirements.
My full response to the consultation is available here: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/who-we-work/working-government/mayoral-responses-government-consultations

Affordable Housing Contributions on Small Sites

Nicky Gavron: What is your position on the proposal in the Government’s ‘changes to the Current Planning system’ to temporarily raise the threshold for developers to not contribute to affordable housing to 40 or 50 units up from 10?

The Mayor: I strongly oppose the proposals to raise the threshold for affordable housing contributions to 40 or 50 units and have made this clear to the government in my response to the ‘Changes to the Current Planning System’ consultation which can be read here: www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/who-we-work/working-government/mayoral-responses-government-consultations
Our analysis estimates a loss of over £0.5bn in affordable housing contributions for London should the government implement this proposal for the suggested 18-month temporary period. In light of the urgent need for affordable housing across the capital, such a potential loss is wholly unacceptable. This is doubly concerning as there is no evidence to suggest that it would have the positive impacts on delivery that the government claim. Instead it is likely to increase uncertainty in the housing market at a critical time and in the context of the impacts from Covid-19.

Impact of First Homes on London 3

Nicky Gavron: What percentage of the population in London would have access to the proposed First Homes scheme?

The Mayor: First Homes will not be affordable to the vast majority of Londoners and I have made this clear to the Government in my response to the consultation on ‘Changes to the Current Planning System’ which can be read here: www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/planning/who-we-work/working-government/mayoral-responses-government-consultations
Our analysis suggests that based on the average price of a new build home in London, an income of at least £76,000 would be required to afford a First Home at the 30 per cent discount proposed. This means that only two per cent of households in London would have the required income and savings to access a First Home.

Evictions in London

Murad Qureshi: The ban on evictions ended on Monday 20th September. With half a million Londoners now potentially facing eviction what early effects have we seen in London as a result?

The Mayor: I am very concerned that half a million Londoners potentially face eviction now that the evictions ban has come to an end, and the replacement to the furlough scheme is set to put many more Londoners’ livelihoods at risk. With no further financial support forthcoming, Government is running out of time to prevent a wave of evictions in the spring, when the new six-month notice periods for renters expire.
This is why I am calling on government to provide grants to help renters affected by Covid to pay their rent and clear their arrears, make changes to the welfare system to better support renters to sustain their tenancies and give me powers to implement a two-year rent freeze for private rented tenancies in London while the extent of the crisis becomes clear. I am also urging Government to fund boroughs to protect renters from illegal evictions, maintain standards and conditions and provide accommodation for Londoners who are made homeless.
I continue to press the Government to give me powers to implement my London Model of tenure reform, and to introduce rent control.

Impact of First Homes on London 4

Nicky Gavron: In the ‘Changes to the Current Planning System’ consultation paper, paragraph 61 states that First Homes ought to be exempt from paying CIL. Have you investigated what impact this would have on the boroughs?

The Mayor: If, as proposed in the consultation paper, First Homes replace other types of affordable housing such as shared ownership which are also exempt from paying CIL, this should not have a significant additional impact on the level of infrastructure funding collected through CIL. However, a key issue as set out in my response to Question 2020/3490 and 2020/3492, is that First Homes will not be affordable for the majority of Londoners and will be less affordable than the other intermediate tenures that they will displace, which will make it harder for Londoners to access affordable home ownership. Furthermore, I do not consider that a CIL exemption for First Homes would be necessary, given the lack of need to incentivise their delivery, which in most cases will be more valuable for developers than other forms of affordable housing.

Fixed penalty notices and fines issued to protestors under new coronavirus rules

Siân Berry: Could you tell me if MOPAC provided advice or guidance to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) following each change in legislation or policy from government regarding coronavirus restrictions on public movement?

The Mayor: MOPAC has worked closely with the MPS throughout the pandemic but has not been providing guidance in relation to changes in legislation or policy regarding coronavirus restrictions on public movement. The MPS is following all guidance provided by the Government. The MPS is also working as part of the London Resilience governance to ensure that all London public services are working together to respond to changes in legislation.

New Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme

Murad Qureshi: How many homes does the Mayor anticipate the New Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme to provide? What are the timescales for when these homes will be ready for use?

The Mayor: The first year of my new Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme is expected to deliver at least 900 homes for former rough sleepers to be ready for occupation by 31 March 2021. Having assessed and moderated the bids, we are now waiting for the Secretary of State to sign off allocations so that we can confirm successful bids and move forward to delivery.

Local Affordable Housing Targets

Murad Qureshi: Which boroughs have local affordable housing targets? Please provide details of what those targets are.

The Mayor: The affordable housing policies by local planning authority are in the spreadsheet ‘MQ 2020-3542 Affordable housing targets’.

Land and Resources

Murad Qureshi: How have you worked with councils, housing associations and co-operatives to help them invest their land and resources effectively? Particularly around their right-to-buy receipts and resources from smaller organisations.

The Mayor: The GLA works with councils, housing associations and community-led housing organisations (including co-operatives) through our funding programmes, namely through the Building Council Homes for Londoners scheme, our Right to Buy ringfence offer, our offer to small and medium-sized housing associations (which includes making available earlier drawdown of grant and our Small Sites, Small Builders programme), as well as through the Land Fund Programmes and the Community Housing Fund.
The Housing and Land team recognises the challenges facing councils in identifying enough land for housing, and we work closely with our borough partners to support them to address specific land and infrastructure requirements preventing homes from being built. This close collaboration and support has helped us to ensure available resources are deployed to unlock new sites for housing.

Smaller Housing Associations

Murad Qureshi: What advice, support, and assistance for smaller housing associations who have an appetite to develop their homebuilding capacity? What funding have you provided? What discussions have you had with partners about the additional support they would require to increase their affordable housing delivery?

The Mayor: I recognise the contribution small and medium sized Housing Associations (HAs) make to building affordable homes in London. I want to offer support to this sector as I understand the challenges they may face with securing finance, land and the right expertise.
I have invested in the Build London Partnership, helping organisations who lack inhouse development capacity to acquire new affordable homes. I am also working to get more land into the hands of small and medium HAs through the Small Sites, Small Builders programme and the London Plan (Intend to Publish version) policies to support small sites.
In July last year, I went further by launching an offer for small and medium HAs that allows for earlier draw down of grant, flexible loan finance and the development of strategic partnerships. Details of this offer can be found here: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/housing-and-land/increasing-housing-supply/support-smaller-and-medium-sized-housing-associations

Called In Applications

Murad Qureshi: How many applications have you called in because you a) are not satisfied with the viability information submitted by the applicant, the assumptions that underpin the information, or the level of scrutiny given by the LPA; b) considers the viability information submitted may suggest a higher level of affordable housing could reasonably be provided; or c) because a significant contribution to affordable housing could be forgone due to other grounds and you want to review the weight the LPA has given to competing planning objectives?

The Mayor: I have made fixing the housing crisis one of my top priorities. I have called in 4 applications where I was not satisfied with viability and I considered the Council had not scrutinised viability sufficiently - (Swandon Way (Wandsworth); National Institute for Medical Research (Barnet); Osiers Road (Wandsworth); and Stag Brewery (Richmond). There have been a further 2 applications where I was not satisfied with viability and the borough had identified this as a reason for refusal - Biscuit Factory (Southwark) and Thameside West (Newham).
By calling in applications I have been able to increase the amount of affordable housing being delivered in London, through optimising development where appropriate, rigorously reviewing viability information and balancing the weight given to competing planning objectives, in particular the need for affordable housing against height/density. Following call in, I have approved 15 applications providing 14,962 homes in total of which 6,028 (40%) were affordable.

Housing Investment (2)

Murad Qureshi: Since becoming Mayor, how much investment has been secured and how many Build to Rent homes have been funded as a result?

The Mayor: The GLA does not hold information on the total amount of institutional investment in Build to Rent in London.
However, I continue to support the development of Build to Rent (BtR) homes as they make a significant positive contribution to meeting London’s housing needs. My London Plan (Intend to Publish version) policies has a tailored approach towards the sector so that purpose built rented homes, including those at London Living Rent levels, are developed.
My Homes for Londoners team are also working to bring forward GLA owned land for the development of BtR homes.

incentives for businesses

Murad Qureshi: Please update me on your work to explore incentives for businesses to provide investment in new homes which could benefit their workforce.

The Mayor: Please see my answer to Mayor's Question 2020/3534.

Using public land creatively to generate future income

Murad Qureshi: Can you update me on your work to explore the full range of options available to maximise best value from publicly owned land in London?

The Mayor: I have continued to lobby government to consider changes to the General Disposal Consent and the application of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) which would enable public sector landowners in London to approach land disposal more creatively.
The GLA’s Public Land and Planning Teams have been supporting MOPAC to use the Portfolio approach outlined in the Intend to Publish London Plan to maximise both land value achieved and affordable housing delivery. A valuation exercise has shown that by taking sites through the London Development Panel 2 a higher land receipt is expected to be generated for the public sector combined with greater certainty over delivery. By agreeing to resource the procurement of a development partner without GLA Land and Property Limited acquiring the site there no requirement to pay SDLT. This practical workaround could be replicated with other public landowners in advance of reforms being agreed.
TfL is also putting its land to better use and has adopted a variety of routes to ensure best value. From targeted disposals, to offering leases of its retail and office space, to developing underutilised land for housing, TfL’s property programme generates growing long-term revenue which is reinvested back into the transport network.

Housing Investment (1)

Murad Qureshi: Since becoming Mayor, how have you used City Hall as a platform to attract institutional investors, pension and other investment funds to finance homes for longterm, secure rent?

The Mayor: It is desirable to secure institutional investment in addition to the significant funds I am already investing to build the affordable homes London so desperately needs. Through MD2616 Investment Structures and Subsidiaries, I have authorised the Homes for Londoners team to undertake market-testing and commission necessary advice to identify a Land Fund model that will enable the implementation of pooled investment.
The team are currently undertaking market testing to establish the model and are engaging with a number of organisations in the market including, the London Pension Fund Authority, Local Pensions Partnership and London Pension Collective Investment Vehicle.
Proposals for schemes with the potential to generate returns that would be attractive to other investors are also being developed by my team and these will help us bring in additional investment that can work with or alongside my existing Land Fund.
While recognising the benefits of attracting institutional investment into affordable housing in London, I am also clear that it will not be able to make up for the lack of sufficient investment by the Government.

borrowing for housebuilding

Murad Qureshi: What effect, if any, has the abolition of the HRA borrowing cap had on the amount of borrowing for housebuilding taken on by London’s Councils?

The Mayor: I supported the removal of HRA borrowing restrictions, recognising that this was necessary for councils to access more borrowing to finance development. A survey from the Local Government Agency last year found that 89 per cent of councils across the UK were considering expanding their homebuilding programmes as a direct result of the HRA borrowing cap being abolished.
However, while necessary and important, the abolition of the borrowing cap alone is not sufficient to increase council housebuilding levels. While most councils can now increase their level of borrowing, this does not address the significant gap in subsidy that cannot be filled by borrowing, and must be plugged through grant, or by securing more homes through the planning system via S106 agreements. More grant is needed to unlock affordable homebuilding at the levels Londoners truly need.
The GLA does not have a role in monitoring HRA borrowing and we do not hold data on council borrowing for the purposes of housebuilding.

2008-11 Affordable Homes Programme

Murad Qureshi: What level of funding was allocated to London in the 2008-11 Affordable Homes Programme (not including any rollover amounts from previous programmes)? How many homes were due to be delivered under this programme? How many were actually delivered?

The Mayor: The 2008-11 Affordable Homes Programme was managed by the Homes and Communities Agency (now Homes England) with funding applied on a national basis inclusive of London. Detail of delivery by programme are available on the GLA’s website in the quarterly housing statistics tables (https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/affordable_housing_starts_and_completions_-_end_of_june_2020.pdf).

Violent Crime Funding

Shaun Bailey: Please provide a list of all organisations that have received funding by City Hall to tackle violent crime, by year since and including the 2016/17 year. Please also include the amount they received and for what purpose they received it.

The Mayor: City Hall takes a public health approach to tackling violence, which means that there are a wide range of interventions which aim to reduce wider violence and the factors that drive it. Furthermore, City Hall works with Local Authorities, charities, schools, police and a range of other partners to support efforts to tackle violence.There are several places where you can find out which organisations have received funding, how much and for what purpose.
All funding granted to organisations by the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) since 2016/17 are outlined in decisions that are published here: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/governance-and-decision-making/mopac-decisions-0?order=DESC&page=3
Much of this spend is allocated through grants and commercial contracts to tackle violence and support victims of violence. Further information related to individual Grants and Commercial Contracts spend for the period ending March 2019 can be reviewed through the Contracts Register here: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/contracts_register_2018-19.pdf. An updated version of the MOPAC contracts register will be published shortly and will be found here: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/about-mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/our-finances
MOPAC and VRU also publish quarterly spend and performance information here: https://www.london.gov.uk/mopac-publications?order=DESC.
This investment is alongside a range of support to the Metropolitan Police Service’s budget, including £15m funding for the Violent Crime Taskforce and raising council tax precept to fund additional officers.
You may also find supplementary information in the answers to MQs 2019/20287 and 2019/8943.

Interviews by Earls Court Development Company

Caroline Russell: Earls Court Development Company, which is the delivery vehicle for the Earls Court Masterplan, has been interviewing key stakeholders. Which GLA officers have participated in this information gathering process?

The Mayor: The GLA officers who were interviewed as part of this process are Nick Taylor (Housing and Land) Louise Duggan (Regeneration- Good Growth) and Allison Flight (Planning – Good Growth).

Met Police (1)

Shaun Bailey: What was the budget of the Met Police for each year since and including 2009/10 to the current year?

The Mayor: The budget for the Met Police can be found by following this link:
https://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/governance-and-spending/spending-money-wisely/mayors-budget

Mayor’s Resilience Fund

Shaun Bailey: What are your plans to advertise the Mayor's Resilience Fund across London and to those who would benefit most from it?

The Mayor: The Resilience Fund was launched on Thursday 24 September alongside a wider support package from the London Business Hub and was promoted across multiple communications channels, including press,emailandsocial media. We have already seen over188 applications come through and over 80 expressions of interest fromdiverse organisations across London.Officers are working with key stakeholders across London, leveragingpartners’ local networks and relationships witha diverse range of communities,to ensure that potential beneficiaries across London are aware of this funding opportunity. This includesmultiple roundtablesand open webinarsorganised for October and November,andcontinuedamplificationof the programmethrough existing networks and channels.

Enforcement Measures Funding

Unmesh Desai: How much money will be provided to the Met Police from the £60million announced by Government to help support extra enforcement measures?

The Mayor: The Government has allocated £30m of the £60m to councils and £30m to policing. The Met Police has been allocated up to £6.8M of the policing £30m. This has been distributed using the police funding formula.
The funding will be provided to police only for use in relation to coronavirus enforcement. Forces will be required to provide the Home Office with enforcement plans to demonstrate how the money is being used to tackle non-compliance with public health rules.

Money Laundering (1)

Unmesh Desai: In the answer provided to question 2020/1305, you advised that 170 individuals had been arrested for money laundering related offences since 2016. How much money in total, in each of 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, was it estimated the individuals arrested had laundered?

The Mayor: Not all subjects arrested for money laundering will be subject to confiscation proceedings. It is only at such proceedings that the subject of benefit from criminality is established and an order made for confiscation of available assets.
The Met does not have the ability to go through each of the money laundering offences, however, the overall figures for all offences relating to cash seized and accounts frozen for the last four years are as follows:
2016/17 - 1,757 incidents with a value £33.4million
2017/18 - 1,356 incidents with a value of £25.4million
2018/19 - 1,144 incidents with a value of £69.4million
2019/20 - 744 incidents with a value of £37.1million

Money Laundering (2)

Unmesh Desai: How much money is it estimated is laundered by criminals in London each year?

The Mayor: Money laundering is acknowledged as a serious threat to the UK. The National Crime Agency estimates that money laundering by Serious and Organised Crime costs an estimated £24 billion a year. There are no specific data for London, however it is safe to assume that a significant proportion of this figure is laundered in London. Often money can be laundered through Money Service Bureau’s (MSBs). For this reason, the Met has a strong partnership with HMRC and tackles the abuse of MSBs, of which there are about 9,000 in London.
However, this is not enough. I have campaigned since 2018 for the Government to take this issue more seriously and increase the regulation and enforcement of MSBs. I hope that the Assembly will join me in lobbying the Government to increase regulation and close down rogue MSBs.

Money Laundering Officers

Unmesh Desai: How many officers does the Met have dedicated to tackling money laundering?

The Mayor: In June 2019, after a period of Transformation, the MPS launched the Economic Crime Command. The team is responsible for matters concerning money laundering, fraud and other offences associated with criminal finance. The Economic Crime Command has a total of 303 officers and police staff positions across various ranks.

Buy-to-Leave

Murad Qureshi: Which boroughs, if any, have identified issues of new homes being left empty? What support are you offering those boroughs to put in place mechanisms which seek to ensure new homes are occupied?

The Mayor: The GLA does not hold a comprehensive record of which boroughs have ever identified issues of new homes being left empty. I support boroughs that do identify this as an issue in using their powers, such as the empty homes premium or Empty Dwelling Management Orders. There is a particular risk of new homes being left empty in a market downturn, and in July my Housing Delivery Taskforce called on Government to fund a £3.5bn buyer of last resort scheme to purchase market homes for affordable housing at cost price if a buyer cannot be found.

Neighbourhood Planning Act (2017)

Murad Qureshi: In what ways, if any, did the Neighbourhood Planning Act (2017) deliver a much better Compulsory Purchase Order system for London?

The Mayor: Compulsory Purchase Orders are an important tool for driving regeneration. The legislation governing these powers developed piecemeal over time and has been criticised for its complexity. The 2017 Act was introduced to simplify and provide more certainty in respect of the CPO procedure and streamline the process for GLA Group bodies to work together to promote CPOs.
While the additional certainty provided is positive and a step in the right direction in terms of codification and consolidation of the CPO legislation, there remain further reforms that I want government to make in relation to the introduction of new land assembly mechanisms and resources. The current land assembly system still presents a barrier to realising the benefits of funding for land interventions through inflated land prices and transaction costs - reforming the 1961 Land Compensation Act to remove ‘hope value’, changing the rules around public land disposals and streamlining the compulsory purchase system would make funding for land acquisitions go further and help increase housing supply.

Empty Homes premium (2)

Murad Qureshi: You have said you will work with councils to lobby Government for changes to make the Empty Homes premium more effective. Can you outline our lobbying efforts, what you have been lobbying for and what response, if any, the Government have provided?

The Mayor: I wrote to the Government in 2017, calling on it to allow councils to charge the premium at whatever rate they feel necessary to incentivise occupation. I also reiterated these points in my response to the Government consultation on the Stamp Duty Land Charge surcharge for overseas buyers. The Government increased the empty homes premium to 100% from April 2019, but while this is certainly welcome, allowing councils to set the levy would enable them to do more to ensure properties are occupied – or to gain a more valuable income stream where homes do remain vacant.
I note that in 2014 my predecessor Boris Johnson called for at least a ten-fold increase in council tax for homes that had been empty for a year or more.

Care Home Covid-19 tests

Onkar Sahota: Are you and the London Transition Board confident that care homes in London have access to sufficient tests and that those tests are being analysed in a timely manner?

The Mayor: I have lobbied the Government for additional testing capacity for London. Ensuring that care homes have access to tests for regular routine testing of staff and residents is essential to protect care home residents and the wider community. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has provided testing kits to all London’s care homes for older people and people with dementia that have registered for regular retesting kits. The kits provide weekly tests for staff and monthly tests for residents through Pillar 2 testing. DHSC is contacting the remaining small number of care homes who have not registered to encourage them to do so. Numbers of testing kits for London’s care homes did reduce during August but increased again at the end of September. The national median turnaround time for care home testing for w/c 24 September was 59 hours.
For suspected outbreaks in care homes PHE undertakes testing under Pillar 1 and the tests are processed through PHE laboratories. Our London PHE and NHS services are working together to provide a pan-London service and improving the co-ordination and capacity of these labs is one of the priorities of the London Testing Strategy.

LEAP Budget Spend

Shaun Bailey: What is the budget of LEAP this year and how much has been spent? How much remains unspent? Please provide a breakdown.

The Mayor: The table below provides a breakdown of the LEAP budget this year. All LEAP funds contained within budget profiles are committed and in contracts for delivery with partners and funding recipients.
Breakdown as follows
Budget for year
Spend in year to date
Remaining profile for spend this year
Local Growth Fund programmes
£56.1m
£4.1m
£52m
Core Funds
£0.5m
£0.3m
£0.2m
Growth Hub
£1.2m
£0.2m
£1m
Growing Places Fund
£2m
£0m
£2m
Royal Docks
£18.4m
£13.5m
£4.9m
Total
£78.2
£18.1
£60.1

Economic Recovery Strategy

Shaun Bailey: When will you publish and implement your economic recovery strategy for London in response to the global coronavirus pandemic?

The Mayor: The London Recovery Programme, overseen by the London Recovery Board, has identified a grand challenge to restore confidence in the city, minimise the impact on communities and build back better the city’s economy and society.
On 5th October a paper was published which presents an overview of the initial programme of work that has been done to meet the grand challenge alongside a framework for London’s Recovery and how partner organisations and community groups can contribute to the programme. The paper can be found here: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/recovery_programme_overview_-_051020.pdf

Meeting with Business Leaders and Representatives During the Pandemic

Shaun Bailey: How many times have you personally met with business leaders and representatives to discuss their issues and needs since lockdown began? Who were they, when were these meetings, and what were the outcomes of these meetings?

The Mayor: I have met with business leaders and business representatives to discuss their issues and needs frequently since the Prime Minister announced the lockdown on 23rd March either in person or virtually. A list is provided below.
These meetings have enabled me to understand the issues and challenges facing London’s businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic and help me and my team make evidence-based policies, form advocacy and lobby asks and design business support programmes to address London’s needs throughout the pandemic. These include lobbying the government to extend the business rates holiday for retail, hospitality, leisure and childcare beyond March 2021 and provide continued support for job retention, as well as launching the Pay It Forward and £1m Back to Business Fund initiatives, the £2.3million Culture at Risk fund, and the launch of the new London Business Hub to provide a one-stop shop of free support and funding opportunities to SMEs.
Date
Meeting
16 Mar
I chaired a meeting of the Mayor's Advisory Group on 16 March to review the Business and Economic impact of COVID-19
29 Apr
I joined a conference call of the government’s Economic Recovery Working Group, chaired by Simon Clarke MP, Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to discuss the impact of COVID-19
13 May
I joined a conference call of the Economic Recovery Working Group, chaired by Simon Clarke MP, Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to discuss the impact of COVID-19
27 May
I joined a conference call of the Economic Recovery Working Group, chaired by Simon Clarke MP, Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to discuss the impact of COVID-19
1 June
I held a conference call with Carolyn Fairbairn DBE, Director-General CBI, to discuss the ongoing response to COVID-19 and recovery strategy
3 June
I held a conference call with Rowena Howie, FSB London Policy Chair, to discuss the ongoing response to COVID-19 and recovery strategy
4 June
I jointly chaired with Peter John, Chair of London Councils, the inaugural meeting of the London Recovery Board, which has a number of business representatives, and was set up for the medium and long term to coordinate planning for, and oversee, London’s long-term recovery efforts.
8 June
I held a conference call with Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive, London First, to discuss the ongoing response to COVID-19 and recovery strategy
9 June
I chaired the inaugural meeting of the London Transition Board which has a number of business representatives.
10 June
I joined a conference call of the Economic Recovery Working Group, chaired by Simon Clarke MP, Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to discuss the impact of COVID-19
15 June
I held a conference call with Sir Peter Rogers, Chairman, and Jace Tyrell, Chief Executive, of the New West End Company, to discuss the ongoing response to COVID-19 and recovery strategy
24 June
I chaired a meeting of the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP), the membership of which includes 12 business representatives.
24 June
I joined a conference call of the Economic Recovery Working Group, chaired by Simon Clarke MP, Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to discuss the impact of COVID-19
1 July
I held a meeting of my Business Advisory Board to discuss City Hall’s Economic Recovery work.
15 July
I was interviewed by my Business Advisory Board member, Debbie Wosskow OBE, AllBright about the work City Hall is doing to support female entrepreneurs and the impact the Coronavirus crisis is having on women in London.
16 July
I addressed business leaders at CBI’s virtual Annual Summer Reception
22 July
I chaired the London Transition Board meeting
26 July
I chaired the London Recovery Board
12 Aug
I chaired the London Transition Board meeting
13 Aug
I visited the West End and met with business leaders and workers in the heart of London’s West End to highlight the urgent action needed to protect its future in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic
21 Aug
I held a conference call with John Allan CBE, Chair of the COVID Recovery Commission, to discuss the work of the new Commission
1 Sep
I joined a Ministerial Roundtable with business representatives in attendance, hosted by the Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to discuss the reopening of the West End and to agree actions to ‘tackle the underlying causes of stalled progress in reopening London’s West End’
2 Sep
I chaired the London Transition Board meeting
16 Sep
I chaired a meeting of the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP)
23 Sep
I participated in a conversation with the Chairman of Coutts Bank, Lord Waldegrave, with an audience of over 500 Coutts Bank clients
23 Sep
I co-chaired the London Transition Board with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
5 Oct
I met with London First’s Business Advisory Council.
7 Oct
I chaired the Mayor’s Business Advisory Board Meeting to discuss businesses’ role in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Dr Heiko Schöning

David Kurten: German Doctor Dr Heiko Schöning was arrested by the Met Police Territorial Support Group at Speakers' Corner at Hyde Park on the afternoon of 26 September 2020 whilst addressing a crowd. Could you explain why he was arrested and what he has been charged with?

The Mayor: Neither I, nor the MPS, are able to comment on an ongoing investigation.

Because I'm a Londoner Campaign KPIs

Shaun Bailey: What KPIs are you using to measure the performance of the Because I’m a Londoner Campaign?

The Mayor: London & Partners are using industry standard campaign KPI measures for the Because I’m A Londoner campaign.
These include measuring engagement which counts how many potential consumers have directly engaged with the campaign, and sentiment which measures whether consumers feel positively about the campaign's message to spend in their local retail, leisure and hospitality businesses.
The latest data shows over 15 million engagements with the Because I’m a Londoner campaign and a positive sentiment of 95%.
Additionally, London & Partners are undertaking analysis on improvement in consumer confidence and spend, which will be complete in November.

Coronavirus Fines

Peter Whittle: How much in fines has so far been handed out by the Metropolitan Police to members of the public and businesses for violating the Coronavirus Regulations?

The Mayor: This information is not available at the regional level. The Metropolitan Police Service, as with all police forces, send Fixed Penalty Notices to ACRO (Criminal Records Office) for approval, with ACRO itself actually issuing the fine to the individual.
Recently published information by the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) shows that between 27 March and 22 September 2020 across England 15,982 FPNs were sent to individuals with 7,706 of these having been paid. The NPCC indicates that it will provide more thorough analysis of payment of FPN data at a future date.

Low-rise buildings with dangerous cladding (2)

Andrew Dismore: How many buildings are there under 18m with dangerous cladding in London?

The Mayor: The GLA does not hold this information. The current data collection exercise on external wall systems, commissioned by MHCLG and carried out by local authorities, is only undertaken for buildings of 18m or above in height.

Low-rise buildings with dangerous cladding (1)

Andrew Dismore: What dangers do you believe that buildings under 18m with dangerous cladding pose to residents?

The Mayor: Several recent damaging fires in buildings below 18 metres have demonstrated the danger that unsafe cladding presents to residents. I have always been clear that fire risk does not adhere to strict height thresholds.
While I welcomed the Government’s decision to review the ban on the use of combustible materials within external wall systems, with a view to lower the threshold to 11m in height, I have long called for this ban to apply to all new buildings, irrespective of height or use. The consultation on this review closed on 25 May 2020 and we are still awaiting the Government’s response.
I have already implemented tougher fire safety requirements in the London Development Panel 2 (LDP2). As such, all new contracts for housing development on publicly owned land, commissioned via LDP2, require sprinklers in blocks of flats and higher-risk buildings, and extends the combustible cladding ban to residential buildings of any height.

Social and Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund and the Building Safety Fund (3)

Andrew Dismore: How are you ensuring that funding is provided where there is currently greatest need of remediation?

The Mayor: All decisions regarding the scope and design of the Government’s cladding remediation funds, and decisions on applications are carried out by the Government. Under the ACM funding programmes, there is a commitment to fully fund all eligible buildings that require Government funds to protect leaseholders from costs. However, the £1bn Building Safety Fund is unlikely to be sufficient to cover all eligible buildings. I have long called for a risk-based approach to be adopted for the Building Safety Fund, rather than The Government’s preferred ‘first-come-first-served’ approach to allocations.

Social and Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund and the Building Safety Fund (2)

Andrew Dismore: What guidance has been provided by MHCLG to assess those buildings where residents are most at risk or where there is greatest need of remediation?

The Mayor: The Government issued its consolidated advice note on building safety in January 2020. It can be accessed at the follow link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-advice-for-building-owners-including-fire-doors
Following the guidance of the Expert Panel, the Government has clearly stated that aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding poses the greatest risk to life and must be removed with urgency. Under the ACM funding programmes, there is a commitment to fully fund all eligible buildings that require Government funds to protect leaseholders from costs. However, the £1bn Building Safety Fund is unlikely to be sufficient to cover all eligible buildings. I have long called for a risk-based approach to be adopted for the Building Safety Fund, rather than the Government’s preferred ‘first-come-first-served’ approach to allocations.

Leaseholders of buildings with dangerous cladding

Andrew Dismore: Leaseholders face rising insurance costs and becoming mortgage prisoners as a result of dangerous cladding on their buildings. What support are you offering to leaseholders in this position?

The Mayor: I am extremely concerned about the issues many leaseholders face when insuring, selling, buying or re-mortgaging their homes.
In September 2020, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government raising my concerns about the External Wall Review process (ESW1) and outlining urgent actions the Government should to take to stop the devasting effects the EWS1 crisis is having. The letter can be found here:
https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/housing-and-land/housing-and-land-publications/responses-and-correspondence-building-regulations-and-fire-safety

The Building Safety Fund and Leaseholders

Andrew Dismore: MHCLG accepts that the Building Safety Fund is not enough to cover the costs of all remediation. What safeguards does the fund put in place to stop leaseholders from being billed tens of thousands of pounds for the rest of the costs?

The Mayor: I have repeatedly called on Government to provide the necessary funding and to expand the scope of the Building Safety Fund (BSF) to cover the cost of all unsafe buildings, and to ensure the BSF also covers the costs of waking watch and other interim fire safety measures so that leaseholders are not burdened with them.

Healthy relationships

Tony Devenish: Following the report ‘A space to learn about relationships’ by Advance Charity, what are you doing to help young people understand what a healthy relationship looks like?

The Mayor: My Healthy Schools London programme supports schools to teach about healthy relationships. As part of the programme, schools review how their curriculum, school policies, ethos and environment contribute to pupils’ personal development and provide opportunities to understand healthy relationships and manage risk-taking behaviour.
As part of my Violence Reduction Unit’s Supporting Inclusive Schools programme, the arts and drama charity, Tender, are delivering a whole-school approach to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence by teaching young people about healthy relationships. Tender will provide 160 schools and Pupil Referral Units across 16 priority London boroughs, with learning resources and will teach adults how to support healthy relationship learning in their settings.
My Young Londoners Fund supports nine projects targeted exclusively at vulnerable young women aged 10-21. The projects, which will reach over 900 young women, empowers participants by offering support around mental well-being, healthy living, healthy relationships and education and skills development.

Fraud, violent and drug crime

Tony Devenish: Do you agree with Graeme Biggar, the head of the National Crime Agency that action to stop fraud is "overdue"? What specific proposals have you developed with the Met over the last 4 years to combat fraud in London with the Met saying economic crime is fuelling violence and drugs?

The Mayor: Since 2016 the Met has undertaken numerous activities to address the threat posed by fraud. The Met has adopted all appropriate recommendations contained within the HMICFRS Thematic review on the policing response to fraud. The Met established the Economic Crime Command, which co-ordinates the Met's response to fraud. Initiatives such as the Banking Protocol (training staff to spot vulnerable customers) and the Economic Crime Victim Care Unit have been established in collaboration with the City of London Police and Trading standards. These have been adopted as good practice nationally. This year the Met has supported the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) led operations on Courier Fraud and Romance Fraud.
Seizing money that fuels violence is a priority for the Met. Since March this year, the Met has seized or frozen a total of £48m including one seizure of banknotes that totalled £5.1m.

Estate regeneration projects

Murad Qureshi: As of 17th July 2020, there were 39 estate regeneration projects where the GLA has approved funding since introducing the Resident Ballot Requirement. Which schemes, if any, resulted in a net loss of social housing?

The Mayor: Officers are drafting a response. Please be advised that there may be some delay as the data required in order to answer your question fully is not yet available.

Annual report 2019/20

Andrew Boff: When are you planning to send your 2019/20 Annual Report to the Assembly, as set out in Section 46 of the GLA Act?

The Mayor: The 2019/20 Annual Report was sent to the Assembly on 14 October 2020.

Research into Central Activities Zone

Leonie Cooper: On 15 September, you announced that you are commissioning a piece of ‘major new research’ into the future of central London’s economy. Who have you commissioned for this research? What is the cost? And what do you expect the project to achieve?

The Mayor: The research will be put out to competitive tender very soon, with a prospective contract award notification planned for early November when the commissioning partner will be confirmed. As procurement is due to commence, the details of the budgeted cost cannot be shared at this stage.
The research seeks to develop an evidence base that makes sense of the emerging trends across the key sectors and strategic functions of the CAZ. The primary focus of the research is on the medium-term (2-5 years) and longer-term (5-10 years) impacts of these trends. The evidence base will inform policy making by the GLA Group and family, boroughs and sub regional partnerships, Central Government and the private sector.

Safer Neighbour Boards and Ward Panels

Tony Devenish: Will you ensure that money allocated for Safer Neighbour Boards and Ward Panels is only spent for this purpose?

The Mayor: I can confirm that Community Engagement Fund 2020/21 has been allocated to all Safer Neighbour Boards to provide administrative support and the funding of local borough-based community engagement projects in line with applications received within the deadline. Any unallocated funds will be reallocated to support other community-related work. MOPAC does not provide any funding directly to ward panels.

Women in the criminal justice system 2

Tony Devenish: 38% of women who have committed a crime say they have done so due to a need to support their children. What are you doing help these women?

The Mayor: Addressing the economic marginalisation and poverty that can drive mothers into crime, and the lasting impact of a criminal conviction, is critical. That is why, I’ve invested £4.6 million into two WrapAround services for women offenders and those at risk of offending. These provide education, training and skills support, alongside financial management. I also funded £293,000 to the Parenting Support Project, which demonstrated the importance of providing mothers and their children tailored support to navigate the social care system to break intergenerational cycles of poverty and offending.

Hammersmith & Fulham Policing and Crime Commission Report 3

Tony Devenish: In the Hammersmith & Fulham Policing and Crime Commission Report, Hammersmith and Fulham Council plan to set up a Youth Commission, to date what communications have you, your office or Mopac had with the council on the proposal?

The Mayor: It is important that there are good opportunities in place for young people to engage in civic life and a Youth Commission can be an effective means of ensuring this happens. As advised in my response to Mayor's Question No: 2020/3761 neither I nor MOPAC has formally received a copy of the Commission’s report and there has been no consultation with myself or MOPAC on the recommendations.

Grenfell Fire Inquiry

Andrew Dismore: Are you concerned that survivors and bereaved from the Grenfell Fire Inquiry are being limited in how many can attend the ongoing inquiry; and if so what will you do about it?

The Mayor: The Grenfell Inquiry is holding limited attendance hearings and has been doing so since the hearings resumed on 6 July 2020. The Inquiry has made this decision based on risks of Covid-19 and the size of the venue, which limits numbers of attendees who can be safely present. This does, unfortunately, prohibit any bereaved or survivors attending the Inquiry, but I support the Inquiry’s decision to prioritise safety. The Inquiry had recently been considering making changes to these rules and allowing a limited number of bereaved, residents and survivors to attend the Inquiry but this has been postponed due to the Covid-19 alert level rising to level 4.
In the meantime, the bereaved, residents and survivors can continue to follow the hearings in real time online, and measures have been put in place for the Inquiry lawyers in the venue to be contactable.

Dangerous cladding and care homes

Andrew Dismore: The recent Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee report ‘Progress in Remediating Dangerous Cladding’ found that there is no current data on low-rise care homes, sheltered homes or hospitals in need of remediation due to dangerous cladding. Will you commit to providing data on such buildings in London?

The Mayor: The GLA does not hold this information. The data collection exercise on external wall systems, commissioned by the Government and carried out by local authorities, was undertaken for buildings of 18 metres in height or above only. There is currently no such data for buildings below 18 metres.

London Recovery Board Missions

Leonie Cooper: I support the missions outlined by the London Recovery Board at its 15th September meeting. The accompanying slides set out examples of possible projects which may fit under these missions. When will a decision be taken on projects to be delivered under each mission?

The Mayor: The first phase of the London Recovery programme focused on the development of the Economic and Social Missions approved by the London Recovery Board on 15th September, 2020. The programme  now moves into the next phase of working with stakeholders and Londoners to develop delivery action plans that embed the agreed cross cutting principles. There will be a presentation on initial thinking to the 10 November Recovery Board meeting. Developing projects will be part of the action planning process. The timescales on projects to be delivered under each mission will vary according to the complexity, engagement and resourcing requirements. Flexibility with timescales is required particularly with the Health missions due to the 2nd wave of Covid-19.

Winter Preparations (2)

Navin Shah: Have any plans been put in place to protect London’s homeless population from the bitter cold and the virus this winter?

The Mayor: I am extremely concerned at the complacency and inaction from the Government on this issue at such a late stage in the year. It is critical that they urgently commit to fully funding self-contained accommodation like hotels which we know is the safest way to protect those who would otherwise be sleeping rough during the winter months. The recent announcement by the Government of £10 million of national funding for winter support for rough sleepers is woefully inadequate.
I am also very concerned that the Government’s recently published operating principals on night shelters appear to do little more than pass the buck to councils and charities. Homeless people should not be forced to choose between sleeping rough and potentially being exposed to COVID-19 in a communal dormitory setting.
London’s world leading response to bring rough sleepers into hotels to safety self-isolate resulted in very low COVID-19 infection rates amongst homeless people. Without a safe and robust plan, there is a real risk not only that all the positive work that we have all jointly done as part of the Everyone In programme will be undermined, but also that London will see soaring COVID-19 infection rates among rough sleepers spreading to the wider community as a result.

London Recovery Board Economic Actions

Shaun Bailey: What actions have you taken to support London’s economy as a result of recommendations or discussions from meetings of the London Recovery Board?

The Mayor: The London Recovery Programme, overseen by the London Recovery Board, is focused on the grand challenge of restoring confidence to the city, minimising the economic impact of the pandemic on communities and building back better the city’s economy and society. At the 15th September Recovery Board meeting, 9 missions were agreed to help contribute to meeting that challenge. These include four missions focused on economic recovery: A Green New Deal, High Streets for All, Helping Londoners into Good Work and Digital Access for All.
A way of working and collaborating has been established across boroughs, communities, businesses and Londoners to ensure the full weight of London is behind the efforts to address the city’s social, economic and health inequalities, work towards a cleaner, greener London, and ensure the views of Londoners are at the heart of recovery.
The Taskforce is now focused on engagement and collaboration with London’sdiverse communities on the best way to design the delivery of actions to achieve these missions.

Fire Safety and London’s Housing Associations (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: Have you considered any further support you could give as Mayor to housing associations in London that still have buildings with flammable and dangerous cladding? With Government support being too slow and inconsistent, please outline further measures you are looking to take to support these housing associations in not only getting swift and sufficient fire safety assessments, but also ensuring they can carry out swift remedial works without any cost to the leaseholders?

The Mayor: Those buildings owned by housing associations that are receiving funding from the Social Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund have the full support of my team who work diligently with building owners to progress funding applications at pace. My team is also in regular contact with social housing providers to understand the impact the building safety crisis is having.
My Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development wrote to the Minster for Building Safety in the summer to object to the treatment of social landlords under the Building Safety Fund. I have also highlighted to the Government industry-wide issues that are impeding remediation work and the impact these delays have on leaseholders.

Fire Safety and London’s Housing Associations (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: I very much welcome investment in affordable housing in the capital, but do you share my concern that some housing associations which still have a significant number of properties in the capital with dangerous cladding on are due to receive millions of pounds of investment for new affordable homes, while thousands of individuals across London remain trapped in their own affordable homes due to delays and complications in obtaining an EWS1 form and/or having the necessary remediation works completed?

The Mayor: I have repeatedly called on the Government to take more concerted action to address building safety and resolve the EWS1 situation. I wrote to the Government in September to set out five key steps to support leaseholders who cannot sell, buy or remortgage their home. This requires a long-term funding solution for building remediation which protects leaseholders from costs. This is crucial for housing associations given they do not have full access to the Building Safety Fund. Despite the challenges of building safety, I remain committed to funding affordable homes in London to ensure we are doing everything possible to tackle the housing crisis.

MOPAC Data on Public Perceptions Police

Caroline Pidgeon: Please confirm whether the data MOPAC collects on public perceptions of the police in London is broken down by i) race, and ii) gender? If it is not will you commit to collecting this data moving forward?

The Mayor: The MOPAC Public Attitude Survey data on public perceptions of the police in London can be broken down by both ethnicity and gender. The key results of the survey, including demographic breakdowns, are published on the Public Voice Dashboard, which can be found via the following link: https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/mayors-office-policing-and-crime-mopac/data-and-statistics/public-voice-dashboard.
The “Perceptions Demographics” tab shows breakdowns by various demographics, including gender and ethnicity. The dashboard is updated quarterly.

Anti-Social Behaviour – Richmond and Kingston

Caroline Pidgeon: With areas like Richmond and Kingston seeing a significant rise in anti-social behaviour in recent months, including increased drug-related activity, how are you working with the Met to tackle this and also, importantly, ensure people in these areas, many of whom are families, feel safe?

The Mayor: As with other areas in London, Richmond and Kingston have seen a rise in anti-social behaviour (ASB) in recent months. Factors that have contributed to the rise include the relaxation of lockdown, the change in licensing regulations, and the closure of nightclubs. The MPS has also experienced more telephone calls from the public worried about Covid.
In Richmond and Kingston ASB is typically groups gathering in public areas and using alcohol and nitrous oxide, however, other drug use has not increased significantly.
The MPS have increased police and Local Authority patrols, relocated CCTV, engaged with licensed premises, and used dispersal orders and Public Space Protection Orders to tackle the problem. The MPS also continues to work with local councillors and SNB chairs to understand community concerns and put in place long-term problems solving approaches to local problems.

Preparations for Potential Rise in Human-Trafficking

Caroline Pidgeon: Leading figures, including Unseen UK Chief Executive Andrew Wallis, are warning of a potential further increase in human trafficking into the UK as a result of the post-Covid economic slump. What additional work and preparations are being undertaken in the area of human trafficking and modern slavery in partnership with the Met and others in advance of this anticipated increase in cases?

The Mayor: The London Modern Slavery Partnership Board convened in September 2020 to explore the issue of lack of data collection at a pan London level and how best this data can be collected to ensure that resources are allocated according to need. I have also provided an additional grant of £10,000 to Unseen UK, to ensure that its Modern Slavery Helpline can continue to operate to help victims of modern slavery receive the support they need. Lastly, MOPAC is engaging with two charities to ensure that information on victim support services are readily available and translated into various languages.

MOPAC Monitoring and Oversight of Live Facial Recognition Technology

Caroline Pidgeon: The London Policing Ethics Panel (LPEP) Live Facial Recognition Report condition 5 recommended that “the Met and MOPAC develop robust governance and oversight arrangements that balance the technological benefits of LFR with their potential intrusiveness.” Please outline the details and progress MOPAC is making on the monitoring and oversight of the Met’s use of live facial recognition technology since it began being used as an operational policing tool in January of this year?

The Mayor: Both I and my Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime discuss the use of police tactics, which includes the use of LFR, at their bilateral meetings with the Commissioner. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the Met has not been deploying the LFR technology operationally. This means that currently there is not a sufficient evidence base to undertake a meaningful review of its use at this time. The Met review and publish the results of all deployments on its website. The Met will publish the results of future deployments as and when they recommence.

Fire Safety Concerns

Caroline Pidgeon: I am aware that you are backing the #EndOurCladdingScandal campaign for leaseholders with properties in buildings with dangerous cladding and/or serious fire safety defects. What work have you been doing, in addition to supporting the campaign, to i) push the government to reform/speed up the EWS1 process, and ii) to encourage Government to provide sufficient funding to cover the cost of replacing all dangerous cladding, so that it does not fall to leaseholders?

The Mayor: I am very concerned about the impact the cladding scandal is having on thousands of London’s leaseholders, and the very great toll it is taking on the mental health of those affected.
In September of this year, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government raising my concerns about the External Wall System process and the impact it is having on leaseholders. In this letter I set out five areas the Government must address in order to end this crisis. I have always been clear that it is completely unacceptable for thousands of leaseholders lives to be put on hold while waiting for an EWS1 form confirming their block complies with the Government guidance. I have also been consistently clear that the scale and scope of the Building Safety Fund must be expanded in order to protect leaseholders from the cost of cladding remediation. You can read my letter here:
https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/rt_hon_robert_jenrick_mp_21_09_20.pdf

Platform for Life and Homelessness Change programmes

Murad Qureshi: How many homes were funded via this programme and how many young people have been supported? Please breakdown both figures by financial year.

The Mayor: Allocations to deliver 669 homes by 31 March 2022 for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness have been made through my Homelessness Change and Platform for Life programme. Of these, 542 have started on site, of which 384 completed by the end of 2019/20. The table below shows starts on site and completions by year up to 31 March 2020. Details of the characteristics of people moving into and receiving support in the homes are held by housing providers not the GLA. However, nine of the 384 completions are for Platform for Life, which is specifically aimed at young people.
2016/17
2017/18
2018/19
2019/20
Total
Starts on site
381
82
69
10
542
Completions
22
205
93
64
384

Empty Homes premium (1)

Murad Qureshi: Which of London’s councils levy the empty homes premium? Please name those that do and those that do not.

The Mayor: Data on the number of dwellings in each London borough that are subject to the empty homes premium is published by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of its Council Taxbase statistics.

London & Partners Coronavirus Response

Shaun Bailey: What actions have you asked London and Partners to take in response to the coronavirus pandemic?

The Mayor: I have asked London & Partners to focus on actions that help keep London’s brand and business communities resilient in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The actions London & Partners have taken include: offering a fees holiday to their tourism members to help them manage their financial position; convening an alliance of over 600 London businesses to run the ‘Because I’m a Londoner’ campaign to build confidence and encourage consumer spending; supporting the Government’s ‘enjoy summer safely’ campaign; promoting virtual activities for London’s tourism businesses giving them greater audience reach and keeping them front of mind for when visitors can fully return; creating a specific cohort on their Business Growth Programme for tourism start-ups and adapting their trade missions to run virtually to overseas markets including China, North America and Germany. L&P generated £18 million in economic benefit between April and June.

London Transition Board Economic Actions

Shaun Bailey: What actions have you taken to support London’s economy as a result of recommendations or discussions from meetings of the London Transition Board?

The Mayor: The London Transition Board, which I co-chair with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, has provided strategic direction across London on the COVID-19 response. It discusses key challenges facing London’s economy, such as the need for the safe reopening of hospitality and retail over the summer.
To support this reopening, I established a High Streets Reopening Coordination Group with representatives from local authority services, the police, licencing experts and business bodies. I also directly supported small businesses through free access to business support advisers and webinars through the London Business Hub.
At each Transition Board meeting, members and I have repeatedly flagged the need for urgent Government action in respect of supporting London’s transport system and economy, and businesses in the Central Activity Zone (CAZ) in particular. I will continue to raise the importance of adequate financial intervention for those workers and businesses across London that are struggling as a result of the pandemic.

Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker

Murad Qureshi: How many cases have been added to the Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker since it began? Please break down by financial year and enforcement authority.

The Mayor: 2,334 records of civil penalties or prosecutions have been uploaded to my Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker since its launch in December 2017. The requested breakdown of these records is presented below:
Enforcement authority
2017/18
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21 (to date)
Total
Barking and Dagenham
19
28
47
Barnet
13
6
19
Bexley
2
2
Brent
84
18
12
114
Bromley
1
1
Camden
77
145
109
29
360
Croydon
6
23
29
Ealing
22
22
Enfield
7
7
Greenwich
25
22
31
78
Hackney
8
2
10
Hammersmith and Fulham
7
11
18
Haringey
20
2
22
Harrow
1
4
5
Havering
6
55
61
Hillingdon
3
3
Hounslow
34
11
45
Islington
34
6
1
41
Kensington and Chelsea
6
6
Lambeth
4
8
12
Lewisham
2
13
15
London Fire Brigade
55
55
Merton
30
4
34
Newham
176
285
144
55
660
Ombudsman Services
1
1
Property Redress Scheme
19
19
Redbridge
10
36
4
50
Enforcement authority
(cont’d)
2017/18
2018/19
2019/20
2020/21 (to date)
Total
Richmond upon Thames
8
7
2
17
Southwark
70
63
66
199
Sutton
5
5
The Property Ombudsman
6
11
15
1
33
Tower Hamlets
6
77
7
90
Waltham Forest
43
73
16
17
149
Wandsworth
17
3
2
22
Westminster
31
19
28
5
83
Total
631
946
592
165
2334
In its first years of operation, the number of cases uploaded to the Checker included historic records of enforcement action taken against rogue landlords or agents. A reduction in council enforcement activity as a result of COVID-19 restrictions has also led to fewer new records being added this year. I continue to call on the Government to ensure councils have the resources they need to effectively enforce against the minority of criminal landlords and agents operating in London’s private rented sector.

Housing Association Rents

Murad Qureshi: How have you worked with housing associations to keep their rents down? What effect, if any, on the level of rents has there been?

The Mayor: Regulation of the Rent Standard is the responsibility of the Regulator of Social Housing. Iam committed to increasing the supply of homes for low-cost rent, including those for social rent.

Pay-to-Stay

Murad Qureshi: Which Boroughs and Housing Associations in London have used their discretion to charge market or near market rents to tenants with an income of £60,000 or more a year?

The Mayor: The GLA does not hold this information.

Pay it Forward Scheme Sign-ups

Shaun Bailey: How many businesses have signed up so far to the Pay It Forward scheme and how much money has been “paid forward”?

The Mayor: As of 15 October 2020, 331 businesses have set up live crowdfunding campaigns, raisingover £875,000 from over 12,000 Londoners who have “paid it forward” to keep much loved local businesses viable during the Covid-19 crisis.

Leaseholder Advice

Murad Qureshi: What work have you done with London boroughs to ensure leaseholders can access high-quality advice on service charges and leasehold extension?

The Mayor: Last year my former Deputy Mayor James Murray sent a letter to London boroughs to remind them of the upcoming lease extensions of Right to Buy properties, as many of these leases approach 80 years remaining (after which they can be more costly to extend). The letter suggested that councils support lease extension by promoting the benefits of this to their leaseholders. In February 2019 I launched my Leasehold Guide for Londoners which helps leaseholders understand what can be a complex and confusing topic and signposts them to further advice where needed, including in relation to service charges and lease extensions.

Nightstop (1)

Murad Qureshi: What funding, if any, has the Mayor provided to the Nightstop service? Please breakdown by financial year.

The Mayor: City Hall does not fund the Nightstop service.

Nightstop (2)

Murad Qureshi: Do you know how many young people have been supported by the Nightstop service? Please breakdown by financial year.

The Mayor: We do not hold this data regarding the Nightstop service.